As space flights go, the 1997 Pathfinder mission was a bargain. NASA spent $265 million on Pathfinder, including $25 million for the tiny Sojourner rover. Before Pathfinder, NASA would customarily spend $1 billion or more on a single planetary exploration mission. But after the failure of the costly Mars Observer probe in 1992, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin decided it was time to innovate: NASA could not afford to continue space exploration at high-ticket prices. Goldin's mantra was "faster, better, cheaper"—and it worked. With the cost of exploration way down, NASA has now established a regular series of space flights to Mars. And the outcome of that could be a human mission to Mars, perhaps as early as 2014.

Related Links
NASA: "Mars Pathfinder"

Mars Pathfinder images

PBS: "Galaxy of Links"